North Korea Hails Successful Nuclear Test

North Korea says it has conducted a “nuclear warhead explosion” test meant to counter what Pyongyang calls US hostility.

North Korea hails ‘successful’ nuclear test

North Korean says it has conducted a succesful “nuclear warhead explosion” test meant to counter what Pyongyang calls US hostility, North Korean state TV reported. A seismic event with a magnitude of 5.3, was detected in the country’s north on Friday morning, South Korea’s meteorological agency said, in what officials said was the country’s latest nuclear test. The tremor, detected by the US Geological Survey and Japan’s Meteorological Agency’s earthquake and tsunami observations division, occurred near North Korea’s known nuclear test site.

In January North Korea detonated its fourth nuclear device at the site in the northeast of the country. The USGS said the explosion was detected at 9:30am local time at the surface. Its epicenter was 18km northeast of Sungjibaegam, the USGS said. North Korea’s January nuclear test and a series of missile tests this year were in violation of UN Security Council resolutions. South Korean President Park Geun-hye called the atomic test an act of “fanatic recklessness” in clear violation of UN Security Council resolutions. US President Barack Obama and Park spoke by telephone about the event, South Korea’s presidential office said.

Obama and Park talked for fifteen minutes from 01:00 GMT while Obama was on Air Force One on his way back to the United States from a regional summit in Laos, according to the South Korean presidential office. Japan’s chief government spokesman said that Tokyo will consider further unilateral sanctions against North Korea after the test. North Korea’s nuclear development is a grave threat to Japan’s safety,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.